Handgrip unit for rubber stamps



Feb. 14, 1967 w. K. MUNSON 33%,78G

HANDGRIP UNIT FOR RUBBER STAMPS Filed Oct. 8, 1965 35 37 57 57 INVENTOR.

FITTOR/VEY United States Patent 3,303 780 HANDGRIP UNIT F0 12 RUBBER STAMPS Whitney K. Munson, Rumson, NJ. (192 Comanche Drive, Oceanport, NJ. 07757) Fiied 0st. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 494,010 4 Claims. (Cl. 101406) This invention relates to rubber stamps of various types and kinds. More particularly, the invention deals in what I term a handgrip unit coupled with the block or body portion of a stamp and, particularly, wherein the handgrip proper of the unit has a plunger-like action and universal movement with respect to the stamp body portion or a socket of the unit coupled with the body portion. Still more particularly, the invention comprises a unit of the character defined, wherein key means is employed for retaining the parts of the unit against relative rotary movement one with respect to the other.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front face view of a hand stamp, with part of the construction broken away and in section and indicating, in dot-dash lines, the swinging universal movement of the handgrip part of the unit of the stamp.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. 1, with parts of the construction shown in elevation and parts broken away and showing a plunger and head of the unit in dotted lines in operative position.

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 1, the section being taken through the key but showing the body portion of the socket in a central section and omitting the remainder of the showing of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, but showing only the socket or casing and illustrating a modified form of rubber stamp body portion, to which the socket or casing is attached.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, I have shown one adaptation of my invention, wherein the rubber stamp includes a stamp element 10, comprising a block 11, to the lower surface of which is adhesively or otherwise secured a rubber stamp 12, the type or characterization of which is diagrammatically represented by the dot-dash lines 13. The block 11 has, centrally of its upper surface, an aperture 14, with which one of my improved handgrip units 15 is attached.

The unit 15 comprises a handgrip 16 having the usual fiat surface 17 on one side of the upper rounded portion thereof, the lower part of the handgrip having a bore 18 for the reception of a rod or plunger 19 of the unit. The plunger 19 has, at its lower end, a pressure head 20, including a rounded upper surface 21. Adjacent the head 20, the plunger has a key recess 22, in which a key 23 is arranged.

At 24 I have shown a universal socket or casing having a straight or perpendicular upper bore 25 slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the rod 19, the bore having, at one side thereof, a keyway 26 flared upwardly, as seen at 27, and downwardly, as seen at 28, to compensate for the swinging universal movement of the handgrip 16 with respect to the socket 24, particularly when the movement is in the direction of the key 23 which operates in the keyway 26.

At the lower portion of the socket 24 is a rounded bore 29, in which the pressure head 20 operates, the contour of the bore conforming generally with the peripheral contour of the head 20. The head 20 is normally held in 3,303,780 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 seated position upon the upper end of the bore, as seen in FIG. 2, by action of a resilient member 30 which, in the construction shown, is in the form of a resilient rubber pad.

At 31 is shown a bottom plate secured to the lower surface of the socket or casing 24 and, when 24 and 31 are composed of plastic material, this attachment can be in the form of a suitable adhesive. However, at this time, it is pointed out that the socket 24 and plate 31 can be composed of any desired materials and, while the rod 19 including its head are illustrated as being formed of metal, this plunger assemblage can also be composed of plastic material. The key 23, alone, will be formed of metal in the several uses. The plate 31 has a depending coupling pin 32, which is cemented or otherwise secured in the aperture 14 of the block 11.

Considering FIG. 3 of the drawing, it will appear that side walls of the keyway 26 are also preferably flared upwardly, as seen at 26', also for the purpose of compensating for the full universal movement of the handgrip 16 and plunger 19 of the unit.

Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing, I have illustrated at the upper portion thereof two flared dot-dash lines 33 to diagrammatically illustrate the swing in the universal movement of the handgrip 16 as well as the plunger 19. This movement is also diagrammatically illustrated by the dotted showing of the plunger 19 and head 20 in FIG. 2 of the drawing, wherein it will be noted that engagement of the plunger 19 with the upper end of the bore at 34 and engagement with the head 20 with the bore 29 at 35 serves as a check, limiting universal movement of the handgrip 16 and plunger 19 in an operation of the hand stamp in forming an impression of the characterization 13 on a suitable surface.

In FIG. 4 of the drawing, I have shown at 24' a modified form of socket or casing, which generally is the same as the socket or casing 24, with the exception that two threaded bores 36 are employed for the reception of screws 37 in mounting another type of stamp frame in connection with the socket, the stamp frame in the construction shown having a top plate 38, in which the screws 37 are mounted, as diagrammatically shown, and centrally of the plate 38 is a suitable aperture 39 for attachment of other parts of the hand stamp to the plate 38,

' .as and when such attachment is desirable or necessary.

In operation of rubber stamps of the type and kind under consideration, by providing the universal action of the handgrip of the unit with respect to the socket of the unit, it is immaterial how the rubber stamp body portion approaches a surface or the characterized surface 13 initially engages the surface to be printed. In other words, let us assume, for illustrative purposes, that an edge portion 13' of 13 initially engages the surface to be printed before the opposed edge portion 13". Then and in that event, the handgrip will assume an angular position, depending upon the angularity of the lower surface of 13 and this surface will actually strike the surface to be printed and the handgrip 16, together with the plunger 19, will assume an angular position with respect to the perpendicular, depending upon the degree of angularity of the surface of 13. However, in any event, the swing ing or universal movement of the handgrip is checked by the engagements, as at 34 and 35, when the head 20 has been depressed against the action of the resilient member 30, as diagrammatically illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 2 by the blow of the stamp. Upon removing the hand stamp from the printed surface, the resilient member will return in the parts of the hand stamp to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Quite often, in excessive continued operations of rubber stamps of the type and kind under consideration, the printing or stamping operations are performed at a high rate of speed. In this type of stamping, it is substantially impossible to always bring the surface of the characterized portion 13 in parallelism with the surface to be printed. Without the universal action provided with my unit, an improper or inaccurate engagement will result in a smear or poor stamping action, wherein part of the characterizations of the stamp fail to be properly printed. In addition to the actual stamping stroke, the above universal action also takes place in striking the rubber stamp on the inking pad. In other words, at all times, a perfect inking operation takes place, as well as a perfect transfer onto the surface engaged by the rubber stamp. In actual experience and in the fast operations noted above, perfect imprints have been performed which are clear and lack smudging, which usually occurs as pointed out above.

It will be understood that units of the kind under consideration will be made in different sizes and types to suit all types and kinds of rubber stamps.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rubber hand stamp of the character defined comprising a stamp body including a characterized rubber printing surface, a handgrip unit coupled with said body, said unit comprising a handgrip including an elongated plunger mounted on the handgrip and projecting therefrom, a universal socket spaced from said handgrip, the plunger comprising a rod having an enlarged head at its lower end, said head being mounted entirely within said socket, said head having a fiat lower surface defining the largest diameter of said head and a rounded upper surface seating on a rounded bore of said socket, the upper portion of the socket having a perpendicular bore smaller in diameter than the diameter of said head and opening into said rounded bore, a plate fixed to said socket and closing the lower portion of said rounded bore and spaced with respect to the flat surface of said head, resilient means between said plate and the flat surface of said head for suporting said head normally in seated position in said rounded bore and said handgrip perpendicular with respect to said socket, means keying the socket and plunger against relative rotary movement about a vertical axis, means on said plate for coupling the socket with said stamp body, and the perpendicular bore of said socket being larger in diameter than the diameter of said plunger rod to provide a check in the universal swinging movement of the handgrip and plunger with respect to said socket and the stamp body coupled with the socket.

2. A hand stamp as defined in claim 1, wherein said key means comprises a key mounted in the rod of the plunger adjacent said head and operatively engaging a vertically tapered keyway in said socket.

4 3. A hand stamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the rounded bore of said socket adjacent said plate is greater in diameter than the largest diameter of said head, and said resilient means comprising a rubber pad substantially filling the chamber between the fiat lower surface of said head and said plate. 4. In a hand rubber stamp of the character defined, a handgrip unit for attachment to astamp body, said unit comprising a handgrip including an elongated plunger mounted on the handgrip and projecting therefrom, a universal socket spaced from said handgrip, the plunger comprising a rod having an enlarged head at its lower end, said head being mounted entirely within said socket, said head having a flat lower surface defining the largest diameter of said head and a rounded upper surface seating on a rounded bore of said socket, the upper portion of the socket having a perpendicular bore smaller in diameter than the diameter of said head and opening into said rounded bore, a plate fixed to said socket and closing the lower portion of said rounded bore and spaced with respect to the flat surface of said head, resilient means between said plate and the flat surface of said head for supporting said head normally in seated position in said rounded bore and said handgrip perpendicular with respect to said socket, means keying the socket and plunger against relative rotary movement about a vertical axis, means on said plate for coupling the socket with said stamp body, the perpendicular bore of said socket being larger in diameter than the diameter of said 30 plunger rod to provide a check in the universal swinging movement of the handgrip and plunger with respect to said socket and the stamp body coupled with the socket, and the rounded bore of said socket adjacent said plate being greater in diameter than said largest diameter of said head to provide free movement of the head in its depressed position.

References Cited by the Examiner 40 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,612,047 12/1926 Owens 28787 X 3,037,799 6/1962 Mulac 28787 X 3,063,364 11/1962 Kahlen 10l406 X 45 FOREIGN PATENTS 238,752 3/ 1960 Australia. 566,191 2/ 1962 Italy. 633,000 8/1957 Italy. 115,479 7/ 1926 Switzerland. 0

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner,

I. R. WOODS, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A RUBBER HAND STAMP OF THE CHARACTER DEFINED COMPRISING A STAMP BODY INCLUDING A CHARACTERIZED RUBBER PRINTING SURFACE, A HANDGRIP UNIT COUPLED WITH SAID BODY, SAID UNIT COMPRISING A HANDGRIP INCLUDING AN ELONGATED PLUNGER MOUNTED ON THE HANDGRIP AND PROJECTING THEREFROM, A UNIVERSAL SOCKET SPACED FROM SAID HANDGRIP, THE PLUNGER COMPRISING A ROD HAVING AN ENLARGED HEAD AT ITS LOWER END, SAID HEAD BEING MOUNTED ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID SOCKET, SAID HEAD HAVING A FLAT LOWER SURFACE DEFINING THE LARGEST DIAMETER OF SAID HEAD AND A ROUNDED UPPER SURFACE SEATING ON A ROUNDED BORE OF SAID SOCKET, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SOCKET HAVING A PERPENDICULAR BORE SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID HEAD AND OPENING INTO SAID ROUNDED BORE, A PLATE FIXED TO SAID SOCKET AND CLOSING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ROUNDED BORE AND SPACED WITH RESPECT TO THE FLAT SURFACE OF SAID HEAD, RESILIENT MEANS BETWEEN SAID PLATE AND THE FLAT SURFACE OF SAID HEAD FOR SUPPORTING SAID HEAD NORMALLY IN SEATED POSITION IN SAID ROUNDED BORE AND SAID HANDGRIP PERPENDICULAR WITH RESPECT TO SAID SOCKET, MEANS KEYING THE SOCKET AND PLUNGER AGAINST RELATIVE ROTARY MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, MEANS ON SAID PLATE FOR COUPLING THE SOCKET WITH SAID STAMP BODY, AND THE PERPENDICULAR BORE OF SAID SOCKET BEING LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID PLUNGER ROD TO PROVIDE A CHECK IN THE UNIVERSAL SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE HANDGRIP AND PLUNGER WITH RESPECT TO SAID SOCKET AND THE STAMP BODY COUPLED WITH THE SOCKET. 